| IMPULSE (Bart Allen) | BIOGRAPHY |
| Created by Mark Waid and Mike Wieringo |
PERSONAL DATA
Real Name: Bart Allen
Full Name: Bartholomew "Bart" Allen II
Aliases: Kid Flash II, Flash V
Identity: Secret
Occupation: Student
Marital Status: Single
Known Relatives: Don Allen (father; deceased); Meloni Thawne Allen (mother); Barry Allen (grandfather); Iris Allen (grandmother)
Base of Operation: Formerly Manchester, Alabama, now Keystone City, KS
Group Affiliation(s): Teen Titans III; formerly Young Justice, New Titans
Gender: Male
Height: 5'1"
Weight: 105 lbs.
Eyes: Amber
Hair: Brown
Distinguishing Features: Bart has an artificial kneecap
First Appearance: (as Impulse): Flash Vol. 2 #91 (June 1994)
(as Kid Flash II): Teen Titans Vol. 3 #4 (December 2003)
(as Flash V): Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #1 (August 2006)
Creators: Mark Waid and Mike Wieringo
OVERVIEW
The grandson of Barry Allen, The Flash, and son of Don Allen, one of the 30th century's famous Tornado Twins, Bart Allen grew up with superspeed in his blood. By the age of three, he was being reared in a virtual reality environment, his body already in the early teenage years, way ahead of his mind. He was snatched to the twentieth century by his grandmother Iris Allen, where he came under the tutelage of the current Flash, Wally West, and more importantly superspeed guru Max Mercury. Bart was initially an impulsive young man who tended to act before he has time to think, but the mentorship of Max soon began to pay off, and he slowly became a valuable member of the super-hero community alongside his friends in Young Justice.
After an encounter with the mercenary Deathstroke, Bart was shot in the kneecap and, after recovering, read every book in the San Francisco public library. Unusually for super-speedsters, he remembers everything he reads at speed, and although the application is somewhat lacking, he is at least undeniably knowledgeable. He changed his name to Kid Flash and and joined the Teen Titans.
HISTORY
Born in the 30th century, Bart Allen is the grandson of Barry Allen, the second Flash. Born with the powers and abilities of the Allen family, his metabolism was working at superspeed as well. The Allen's knew there was a serious problem when, at the age of two, he had the body of a fourteen year old. So, for the first 2 years of his life, little Bart was raised in a Virtual Reality environment. In VR, everything functioned at super-speed, so Bart could be more comfortable. Very soon, it became clear that unless his metabolism slowed down, he would die. With that, Iris Allen, Bart's grandmother, sent Bart back to the 20th century so the Flash could help him. Bart remained in the 20th century under the care of Max Mercury, the ZEN master of speed. Bart was given the superhero name Impulse. This was a very fitting name, because he always leaps before he looks and can sometimes get him in serious trouble. After spending a brief time with the New Titans, he joined and formed Young Justice a crime fighting team located in Rhode Island, made up of him, Superboy, and Robin.
POWERS AND WEAPONS
Like all other Flash's before him, he can tap into the extradimensional field called the "Speed Force."
CHRONOLOGY
For a definitive list of appearances of Impulse in chronological order click here
PROFILE REFERENCES
Flash Secret Files #1 (November 1997)
Young Justice Secret Files #1 (January 1999)
Young Justice: Sins of Youth Secret Files #1 (May 2000)